What is “Post-Rock,” Anyway?

 

Stoner rock, folktronica, psychobilly, slowcore, anti-folk, post-classical screamcore death-pop. Okay, that last one I made up. But there are so many obscure contemporary music genres that sometimes it’s hard to keep them straight!

One genre that has been garnering more attention in recent years due to artists that have earned both mainstream credibility and an independent music fan base is “post-rock.” So, it’s not quite rock and roll, but it incorporates the same instruments? It’s the genre that spawned from rock? What is post-rock anyway?

According to All Music, “Post-rock was the dominant form of experimental rock during the ‘90s, a loose movement that drew from greatly varied influences and nearly always combined standard rock instrumentation with electronics.” From this genre, other subsets such as progressive rock and ambient music emerged, both which have excelled in the mainstream market over the last decade.

All Music also explains how, “post-rock was something of a reaction against rock, particularly the mainstream’s co-opting of alternative rock; much post-rock was united by a sense that rock & roll had lost its capacity for real rebellion.” The sound that comes from this departure from rock and roll music is heavily focused on pure sound, melodic hooks, and heavy instrumentation with minimal and sometimes no vocals. Some of the most prominent post-rock bands include Sigur Ros, Stereolab, and Grizzly Bear. Explosions In The Sky is another leader of the genre, one that Pitchfork considers “the last true exponent of turn-of-the-century post-rock -- they never wandered away from drifting instrumentals constructed around loud-soft dynamics and the contrast between soft guitar tones and pounding drums,” something that makes the band a leading example of post-rock.

Do you ever listen to post-rock music? What are your favorite post-rock bands?

Image: Rigmarole via Flickr CC